Marriage: The Trip Report - Update 2/28 - Final Thoughts & Link to Disneyland TR!

[blessedby3]

Love the update! Im sorry your start at BLT didnt go well. That was our experience too, but we had a GREAT stay there....it is our favorite It just took FOREVER for us to have our room ready on check in day...even past 4pm, but once we got in it was GREAT. That was our Family of the Day trip where we got the free club level ammenieties for our whole stay so ALL was good
That studio does look tiny. We had a 1 BR and it was so spacious. We also loved that pool/water jet area and the community hall. We had never stayed DVC before, so I didnt realize this one was smaller than most. My kids love it I cant wait to read more. Im with Henry...I love that monorail gliding past all the time.

 

[Stasieki]

I've been so absent the last few months since I started a much tougher job (or one that doesn't take kindly to doing personal internet stuff while at work). I have the week before Christmas off and hope to catch up on all my favorite TR's

I'm so out of the loop, but hope your grandma and dad are both OK. I will keep them in my prayers.

Moving? You are staying in NYC, though, right?

And, that picture of you and Henry on the balcony is so cute. I love your expressions - just shows that mother/son love perfectly!

 

[KatMark]

Brook, the room looks great. It is a true shame how little care guests take of the rooms with the knicks, etc.

That balcony is huge...and I love the photo of you and Henry out there.

I, of course, enjoyed the Henry jumping on the bed video. He's too darn cute.

I am so happy with the news about Grandma and dad.

 

[TinkerbellinNY6]

While instead of lurking I have decided to post since I noticed that you had the same exact room my mom and I had a BLT!! I also thought I would add that Henry is adorable

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm glad that your dad is doing well!!!

Your view at BLT is gorgeous, I love that you were able to see the monorail and Epcot!! That's weird that there was SO much wear and tear already on the room though!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I just made a ticker:



http://www.***********************/tickers/zrpku8mj4tf5g0xy.png

January 11-17 we (all 3 of us!) are going to DisneyLAND!!!!!

The hotel, flights and rental car are booked, it's officially official!!

I HAVE to write a PTR for this, so that means I have work to do!


​

 

[KristiMc]

Yeah for Disneyland! I have never been so I will be tuning in for the trip report. I am sure it will be nice to get out of NYC in January.

 

[KristiMc]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, kind words, prayers and concern over these past couple months. My Dad's surgery was yesterday and it went well. There was one minor hiccup, he was worse off than they thought he was originally, so surgery took longer than expected - but otherwise, it went fine. I haven't heard from him yet (maybe today or tomorrow), but have heard updates through my uncles who were there with him.

So Grandma is fine, Dad is fine. Whew!!!!

Now just to get the whole moving/school thing out of the way and done with, then life will be easy.

Glad that both Grandma and Dad are doing well.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Wow! You have a lot going on! Glad your dad is ok. And congrats on the upcoming trip! Lots of good news for you!

Your view at BLT was awesome! I could have spent a lot of time out there. The room looked nice too. I am very surprised by all the little 'issues' it had though. That really does seem like a lot of wear and tear on a brand new building. I wonder what's up with that? Seems like they have some design problems and some items that are not very durable. None of that is very Disney like. I LOVE the pictures in the room though!!!! SO CUTE!

 

[BMC423]

Alright Grandma & Dad!!!

I love your pics of BLT (am I the only one who smirks at that?)

Those pics of Henry jumping on the bed are always great ones!

Interesting to read your experience at the Contemporary, I felt the same way when we were there in March. The Contemporary was always THE Disney Resort for me... as a kid it was my dream to stay there, when we were planning our March trip we really wanted to stay there but it just did not fit our budget. Well when we went to dinner at Chef Mickeys I was not impressed at all.

The free arcade was great! I bet all the other people there were not too happy with you when you pointed that out

 

[Caretames1]

AWESOME! This will be so interesting! I've only read one other TR about DL. I will be interested to see more about it!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Aw Brook, I'm so happy to hear your dad is doing well after his surgery! Excellent news!

Loved this mega update. BLT looks amazing though the tattered furniture kinda sucks. When we got to our room at the GF last year, the bell service guy asked us how we liked our room, we asked him whose toenails were on the carpet. Housekeeping left a nice little pile right in the middle of the room, DH was pretty creeped out. But we too noticed wear and tear around the room.

Love Henry's bed jumping video! I'm usually so excited to be back at Disney that truthfully I'd love to jump on the bed too.

Bummer about your room not being ready though. The arcade is a place my family loves, we really liked the CR one over the GF one for sure. Nice skeeball technique too, though for a moment I wondered if you were flipping off the game.

Looks like a great start to the CR portion of your trip!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Dang, I just saw your facebook post about going in a month. I am so incredibly jealous. It is going to be so different from WDW but so worth the trip. I am by no means any Disneyland expert since we've only been twice but if you have any questions I can try to help!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm so glad to hear things went well with your dad!

YAY for the new ticker!! One month!!

I love your room at BLT!! DH would love to stay there sometime.

 

[DWGal210]

Thanks for the BLT review. I've heard mixed reviews, but I'd still love to stay there. The proximity to MK & the monorail is a definite bonus!!

And you're going to Disneyland!!! Woo hoo!!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

 

[jenjolt]

First of all I'm glad things went well with your dad!! YAYAY!!

Secondly WOOT WOOT WOOT for Disneyland!! That is awesome Brook!!!!!

 

[jenseib]

It's a shame that those rooms are so worn already. I would send those pics to Disney.

You already know I am so jealous!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I was behind a couple of updates but am all caught up now. I am like you and don't like just aimlessly wandering around while at WDW so I understand your frustration while waiting on your room to be ready. At least it warmed up enough that Joe and Henry were able to do a little swimming.

I had to laugh when you posted the picture of the coconut patties and your description of nuzzling them to your breast while walking to the register. I love me some coconut patties too.

I had read about the rooms at BLT not having much counter space and being a bit worn. You should send your photograpic evidence to Disney so they will know they need to correct the worn issues.

That's a good idea - I wish I had thought of that when we first returned! I wonder if they have repaired anything in that particular room, considering our stay was now 10 months ago...I sure hope so! I hope when they renovate those rooms they fix some of those issues.

I'm glad your Dad is doing well, and I will pray for continued healing.

I just can't get over the HUGE couch! Big furniture is hilarious to me, I'm a dork as well!

I'd be kinda disspointed that the new room had such signs of wear, especially that it's a DVC / Deluxe. Did you bring it up to anyone?

Nice pictures in and around the grounds! Henry must resally enjoy all hte bed jumping! My DD does

I didn't bring it up to anyone because I knew going in that many of the rooms had similar issues. I had read quite a bit about tears on the couches and the furniture being dinged. I think whomever was in charge of that piece of BLT probably no longer works for Disney.

Today we were at a friends house and the little boy was jumping on the couch. Henry told him, "You are only allowed to jump on Mickey's bed!"

Love the update! Im sorry your start at BLT didnt go well. That was our experience too, but we had a GREAT stay there....it is our favorite It just took FOREVER for us to have our room ready on check in day...even past 4pm, but once we got in it was GREAT. That was our Family of the Day trip where we got the free club level ammenieties for our whole stay so ALL was good
That studio does look tiny. We had a 1 BR and it was so spacious. We also loved that pool/water jet area and the community hall. We had never stayed DVC before, so I didnt realize this one was smaller than most. My kids love it I cant wait to read more. Im with Henry...I love that monorail gliding past all the time.

That's just it! Despite the room and the rough start, we ended up LOVING the resort. That location and other little touches truly make it awesome.

I was able to see a 2 bed in August during a tour and even just the 1 bed is dramatically larger than the Studio. It's just teeny! The 1 bed/2 bed are beautiful. I hope we have enough points someday to stay in a 1 bed again!

I've been so absent the last few months since I started a much tougher job (or one that doesn't take kindly to doing personal internet stuff while at work). I have the week before Christmas off and hope to catch up on all my favorite TR's

I'm so out of the loop, but hope your grandma and dad are both OK. I will keep them in my prayers.

Moving? You are staying in NYC, though, right?

And, that picture of you and Henry on the balcony is so cute. I love your expressions - just shows that mother/son love perfectly!

I hear ya, I've been so far behind on the DIS for months and month. Every time I even get close to catching up, something takes me away and I end up so far behind again. Someday though, someday I will get there!

Yes! We are staying in NYC. Just moving to a new apartment. Eventually...no idea when...!

Brook, the room looks great. It is a true shame how little care guests take of the rooms with the knicks, etc.

That balcony is huge...and I love the photo of you and Henry out there.

I, of course, enjoyed the Henry jumping on the bed video. He's too darn cute.

I am so happy with the news about Grandma and dad.

It is! It really makes me wonder how rough someone has to treat something to make it look like that. I know BLT's furniture isn't the same quality as the other DVCs (hopefully they fix that!), but even still....

While instead of lurking I have decided to post since I noticed that you had the same exact room my mom and I had a BLT!! I also thought I would add that Henry is adorable

LOL! What are the odds! I'm glad you posted!!! and thank you for reading!

I'm glad that your dad is doing well!!!

Your view at BLT is gorgeous, I love that you were able to see the monorail and Epcot!! That's weird that there was SO much wear and tear already on the room though!

That view was awesome. I veryyyyy much enjoyed watching both the lake and the monorail.

Yeah for Disneyland! I have never been so I will be tuning in for the trip report. I am sure it will be nice to get out of NYC in January.

Yes, it will be! We've had really nice weather so far this winter, but even still...I know the cold will be settled in by then. I'm SO excited about seeing Disneyland, I can hardly believe we are really going!

Glad that both Grandma and Dad are doing well.

Thank you!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Wow! You have a lot going on! Glad your dad is ok. And congrats on the upcoming trip! Lots of good news for you!

Your view at BLT was awesome! I could have spent a lot of time out there. The room looked nice too. I am very surprised by all the little 'issues' it had though. That really does seem like a lot of wear and tear on a brand new building. I wonder what's up with that? Seems like they have some design problems and some items that are not very durable. None of that is very Disney like. I LOVE the pictures in the room though!!!! SO CUTE!

I think I function best when life is a little crazy.

They definitely have had problems with BLT - I'm thinking some people from the project are no longer employed by Disney--if you catch my drift! Between the crazy bathroom sink ordeal and the cheap furniture, it's just not good. If that resort where located anywhere else, it would have been a giant flop. The location is superb, and being attached to the CR is truly magical!

Alright Grandma & Dad!!!

I love your pics of BLT (am I the only one who smirks at that?)

Those pics of Henry jumping on the bed are always great ones!

Interesting to read your experience at the Contemporary, I felt the same way when we were there in March. The Contemporary was always THE Disney Resort for me... as a kid it was my dream to stay there, when we were planning our March trip we really wanted to stay there but it just did not fit our budget. Well when we went to dinner at Chef Mickeys I was not impressed at all.

The free arcade was great! I bet all the other people there were not too happy with you when you pointed that out

Oh, no - I call it the Sandwich Resort directly to the CMs...and everyone of them has laughed and nodded. I'm certain it's a joke with them too! And I love love love that they serve a BLT flatbread!

I was impressed with the CR as the week went on. I loved walking into that giant tower and would absolutely love to stay in one of those rooms someday! The dirtiness was random, thankfully. Sorry to hear you weren't impressed...but at least your wallet won't mind.

AWESOME! This will be so interesting! I've only read one other TR about DL. I will be interested to see more about it!

I've been researching like crazy! I need to start a PTR soon...but I want to finish this first. I have no idea how I'll do that!

Aw Brook, I'm so happy to hear your dad is doing well after his surgery! Excellent news!

Loved this mega update. BLT looks amazing though the tattered furniture kinda sucks. When we got to our room at the GF last year, the bell service guy asked us how we liked our room, we asked him whose toenails were on the carpet. Housekeeping left a nice little pile right in the middle of the room, DH was pretty creeped out. But we too noticed wear and tear around the room.

Love Henry's bed jumping video! I'm usually so excited to be back at Disney that truthfully I'd love to jump on the bed too.

Bummer about your room not being ready though. The arcade is a place my family loves, we really liked the CR one over the GF one for sure. Nice skeeball technique too, though for a moment I wondered if you were flipping off the game.

Looks like a great start to the CR portion of your trip!

Isn't that picture funny? I almost didn't post it because of my weird stance!

And your GF room had wear and tear?!?! That is NOT acceptable at that price point. If I had paid cash for my BLT room too I would have been very upset - those are not cheap!!

Dang, I just saw your facebook post about going in a month. I am so incredibly jealous. It is going to be so different from WDW but so worth the trip. I am by no means any Disneyland expert since we've only been twice but if you have any questions I can try to help!

I will keep that in mind! So far most of my questions have just about getting a spot where Joe can see and enjoy World of Color and I think I have it figured out. I'm not going to stress too much on ride strategy because the crowds will be low while we are there. I know to hit Fantasyland during our Magic Morning and then hit the big dogs. I want to be sure to get on anything WDW doesn't have, or just has a variation of, like Pirates. Ahhhhh, just thinking about it all has me

I'm so glad to hear things went well with your dad!

YAY for the new ticker!! One month!!

I love your room at BLT!! DH would love to stay there sometime.

It's a great resort - I would stay there again in a second, despite the room issues! I hope you get to stay there soon!

Thanks for the BLT review. I've heard mixed reviews, but I'd still love to stay there. The proximity to MK & the monorail is a definite bonus!!

And you're going to Disneyland!!! Woo hoo!!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

It does get mixed reviews, but we are fans. I will like them even more after they renovate the rooms and hopefully put better furnishings in there. Otherwise, it's beautiful and the location is aaaaaamazing!

First of all I'm glad things went well with your dad!! YAYAY!!

Secondly WOOT WOOT WOOT for Disneyland!! That is awesome Brook!!!!!

Thank you! I'm SO excited about Disneyland! It's been fun researching and learning more about it!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

We left off with deciding to skip out on the Expedition Everest Party. Henry wanted the ride the monorail, so that's what we did! We rode the monorail right to the MK.

Hello Castle. And hello CROWDS!

We were hungry, so we walked in the direction of Columbia Harbor House, a favorite of ours. But the Castle show was going on and Henry wanted to stop and watch.

As soon as Maleficent appeared he wanted to GO. He did not like her! I don't blame him.

Here we are!

A detail I had never noticed.

Henry's meal. Doesn't it look appetizing?!

Joe's Anchor's Aweigh (tuna sandwich)

Mine - fried fish & apples

We sat upstairs and enjoyed our meal. About halfway through Henry asked me to dance.

I said yes.

So we did. Right there in CHH!

Good thing it was empty in there!

Henry drove the restaurant

After our meal we went back into the nuttiness outside. A CM was ringing the bell outside, so Henry took his turn.

We wandered our way over to the Swiss Family Tree House. This has become a bit of a tradition for us to do as a family.

He cannot walk across this bridge. He must run!

By this time, Henry had seen the movie, so we talked about it as we walked through the attraction.

The kitchen is my favorite part

We grabbed FPs for the Jungle Cruise...and you know what is right by...

Continued in next post